Zheng Qinwen made history Saturday night in Beijing, defeating No. 13 seed Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2 in 1 hour, 32 minutes to become the first Chinese player to reach the China Open final.

Beijing: Scores | Order of play | Draws

Chinese players had previously gone 0-7 in semifinals at the event, but Zheng ended that drought with a commanding performance. The Olympic gold medalist started fast and withstood a late surge from Mertens in the opening set before winning eight of the final 10 games to close out the match.

The victory sends Zheng to the 11th WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz final of her career and her second at the WTA 1000 level.

“The China Open treats me really well,” Zheng said in her post-match interview. “I always want to give my best here. It’s like the fifth Grand Slam for me. I just really want to give everything I have for this stadium.”

Final bound ⭐️ Zheng Qinwen makes history defeating Mertens 7-5, 6-2 and advancing to the Beijing final! #ChinaOpen https://t.co/KQmilZAmkw

— wta (@WTA) October 10, 2026

Zheng will have one more opportunity to play in front of the home crowd when she faces No. 4 seed Mirra Andreeva in the final. The 19-year-old advanced earlier Saturday with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Nikola Bartunkova in a matchup of young stars.

Zheng won her only previous meeting with Andreeva, rallying from a set down in the 2024 China Open quarterfinals.

“I think for sure in these [last] two years, both of us, we became more mature,” Zheng said in her post-match press conference. “She just won Roland Garros this year. It was a really great achievement for her.

“She’s always a tough opponent because she’s always there fighting. A very consistent player. I would say it is not an easy match, but I’m also a tough player. Tomorrow is going to be a hard battle.”

Drawn-out charge to the final

Entering as a wild card, Zheng’s path to the final was anything but easy. Each of her first four matches went to a third set, including victories over No. 15 seed Anna Kalinskaya, No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova and Alina Charaeva, who stunned Elena Rybakina earlier in the tournament.

She then defeated No. 6 seed Elina Svitolina in straight sets to reach the semifinals, where she dispatched Mertens to set up a showdown with Andreeva.

“I would say the more matches I play, the more free, better tennis I achieve because I’m that kind of player,” Zheng said. “My limits are really high, so I need to find out my rhythm from the beginning of the tournament. Luckily, I’ve been playing some really aggressive tennis because that’s the goal I had for myself.”

Along the way, Zheng continued to unleash winners from all corners of the court. She struck 32 against Mertens while committing just 16 unforced errors, good for a 2-to-1 ratio. Her 219 winners thus far in Beijing are the most by any player at a single WTA event this season, surpassing Karolina Muchova’s 210 at Wimbledon.

Since Opta began tracking the statistic in 2021, Zheng is just the third player to hit 200 or more winners at a WTA 1000 event, joining Aryna Sabalenka (231 in Madrid in 2024) and Elena Rybakina (204 in Miami in 2024).

Zheng also surpassed Muchova for the most time spent on court at a single WTA event this year, logging 13 hours, 33 minutes through six matches.

And for good measure: At No. 54 in the PIF WTA Rankings, Zheng is the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open final since 2004, surpassing No. 49 Muchova, who reached the championship match in 2024. She is also the first wild card to reach the final since 2004.